How to Enjoy Self-Care

Eating right and exercising aren’t always fun. Here’s how to make them better.

I have been beating the self-care drum for years now. These days, many people are beating that same drum, and the advice is starting to get stale. Eat well! Exercise! Practice mindfulness! Meditate! Do yoga! Get some fresh air and sunshine!

That’s great and all, but what if you don’t like any of those things?

That sounds flippant, but I’m serious. There are plenty of people who really do enjoy exercise, nutrition, meditation, and so on. The mindfulness gurus who preach daily meditation, or veganism, or Bikram yoga, or whatever, as the one true way to achieve a fantastic life.

Here’s the thing, though: lots of people hate that stuff. You can include me in that as well. The fabled “runner’s high” that so many people swear by is something that eludes me. Exercise is painful and un-fun for me.

Eating well is easier for me, since I enjoy cooking, but after months of hectic work combined with the stress of a global pandemic, I don’t have the energy to cook a solid meal, and takeout is incredibly tempting. Roasted brussel sprouts with herbs and garlic just can’t compare to triple-battered deep-fried whatever.

This goes on. Meditation is great, except it’s hard for a lot of people, myself included. Mindfulness is fantastic for focusing, but when your brain is a maelstrom of stress, it feels like a painful exercise in futility.

Even talking to people can be hard. I’ve got a fantastic network of people to lean on, but sometimes I don’t because “they’ve got their own problems and don’t want to hear mine.” There have been times where I’ve needed to text my therapist to schedule an extra appointment, but I put it off because I don’t want to bother her on her weekend or evening or whatever.

So, what do you do to combat this? Self-care is important after all, so you shouldn’t avoid it because it isn’t fun. It also shouldn’t stress you out, since that’s the opposite of what it’s supposed to do. How do you manage it, then?

There are many ways, and while I’m about to list some that work for me, and others that have worked for other people I’ve encountered, I’m sure you can think of other ways to make your self-care more fun. Even if none of these suggestions work for you, I’m sure you can use them as a springboard to come up with something that will work.

Let’s start with exercise. You don’t have to take up running or cycling to get exercise. Just a daily 10-minute walk around the block can do wonders. The hard part is getting up off the couch to do it.

First off, try setting an alarm to do it at the same time every day. Routine can help you keep up with it. Also, tie it to something you enjoy. Download an audiobook to listen to on your walks, or listen to music that you enjoy. Use it as an opportunity to play Pokemon Go or some other AR game. Find a way to make it fun for yourself with something that you already enjoy.

If you want to try taking up running, there are apps to make it more enjoyable. There is an app called “Zombies, Run!” that functions similar to the “Couch to 5k” program. You put in headphones, and the game tells you when to walk, jog, or run to escape the zombies. Completing the programs gives you resources to build up your “base” in the game, rewarding you for exercising with in-game stuff.

Heck, a lot of people love swimming, but not many do what one of my friends does: she bought a water-friendly mermaid tail and swims laps at her local pool with it. It’s incredibly pretty and flows beautifully underwater, and it’s also a killer workout.

How about eating better? Well, I’ve heard that meal kits are good for getting solid meals with minimal fuss. When I’m stressed, I have trouble completing prep work like chopping veggies and meat. Very often, the difference between a home-cooked meal and takeout is my drive to do prep work. Lots of meal kits do all the prep for you. All you need to do is throw everything together and cook it. For me, saving 20 minutes of chopping stuff is worthwhile. Plus, meal kits offer you the chance to try new foods, which can lead to finding new favorite foods.

Alternatively, you can do meal prep ahead of time. This could be chopping veggies in the morning when you have the energy or just putting a bunch of stuff into a crockpot in the morning so you have a nice, healthy meal in ten hours when you get home from work. I have a friend that does all of her meal prep for the coming week on Sunday. It’s just part of her weekly ritual, and oftentimes, rituals can help you get through your days.

Need to get better sleep? Try taking melatonin a few hours before bed. I know that remembering to take pills can be hard, but they make gummies that can help encourage you to take them with a sweet treat. There are also gummy vitamins, which can help with your vitamin intake.

Wanting to practice mindfulness, but can’t get your brain to settle down? Try a hobby that you enjoy. It can be just about anything, as long as it helps you get in the zone. You don’t even have to be any good at it, as long as you have fun. You can even use video games as a means to practice mindfulness. There are plenty of low-key games like Animal Crossing that you can focus on without getting your heart going.

There are many ways to practice self-care that are enjoyable, or at least don’t feel like a miserable slog. We all know that we should eat right and exercise, but it can be hard these days to motivate yourself to do those things. Part of motivating yourself to do proper self-care is making it fun and incentivizing yourself. Self-care can sometimes feel like a chore, but it doesn’t have to.

Figure out what motivates you to do those important things — whether it’s Pokemon Go, being a mermaid, trying new foods, or just eating a tasty gummy every morning. It doesn’t have to be complicated or complex — it can feel like the dumbest thing in the world, but if it gets you moving, or eating better, or sleeping better, then it’s worth it.

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